Foxie herself was born in August of 1976 into a lonely life. Subjected to laboratory research on hepatitis vaccines, Foxie was compelled to produce more chimpanzees for research. But she never got to raise them.

"When she arrived at the sanctuary she was aloof for a time around humans and cautious about her surroundings," Diana Goodrich, of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, told The Dodo. "She would not play with or even touch any of the toys and other items we gave the chimps."